Ed Wood (film)

Ed Wood
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Tim Burton
Screenplay by	Scott Alexander Larry Karaszewski
Based on	Nightmare of Ecstasy: The Life and Art of Edward D. Wood Jr. by Rudolph Grey
Produced by	Denise Di Novi Tim Burton
Starring	Johnny Depp Martin Landau Sarah Jessica Parker Patricia Arquette Jeffrey Jones Bill Murray
Cinematography	Stefan Czapsky
Edited by	Chris Lebenzon
Music by	Howard Shore
Production company	Touchstone Pictures
Distributed by	Buena Vista Pictures Distribution
Release dates	September 23, 1994 (1994-09-23) (New York Film Festival) September 30, 1994 (1994-09-30) (United States)
Running time	127 minutes[1]
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$18 million[2]
Box office	$13.8 million[3]

Ed Wood is a 1994 American biographical comedy-drama film directed and produced by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp as Ed Wood, the eponymous cult filmmaker. The film concerns the period in Wood's life when he made his best-known films as well as his relationship with actor Bela Lugosi, played by Martin Landau. Sarah Jessica Parker, Patricia Arquette, Jeffrey Jones, Lisa Marie, and Bill Murray are among the supporting cast.

The film was conceived by writers Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski when they were students at the USC School of Cinematic Arts. Irritated at being thought of solely as writers for family films with their work on Problem Child (1990) and its 1991 sequel, Alexander and Karaszewski struck a deal with Burton and Denise Di Novi to produce Ed Wood. Initially, Michael Lehmann was chosen to direct the project, but due to scheduling conflicts with his work on the film Airheads (1994), he had to vacate the director's position, which was taken over by Tim Burton.

Ed Wood was originally in development at Columbia Pictures, but the studio put the film in "turnaround" over Burton's decision to shoot in black-and-white. Ed Wood was taken to Walt Disney Studios, which produced the film through its Touchstone Pictures label. The film proved financially unsuccessful, returning only $13.8 million against an $18 million budget, but was met with critical acclaim upon release, with particular praise for Depp and Landau's performances and the makeup. It eventually became a cult classic and won two Academy Awards: Best Supporting Actor for Landau and Best Makeup for Rick Baker (who designed Landau's prosthetic makeup), Ve Neill and Yolanda Toussieng. The film is now considered to be a cult classic and one of Burton's best works.